ZGram - 8/15/2001 - "Orient House" - Part II

[Ingrid Rimland]

Copyright (c) 2001 - Ingrid A. Rimland

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny

August 15, 2001

Good Morning from the Zundelsite:

Part II of my ZGram series of "Orient House" continues.

I have three pieces before me, written on August 11, referring to the
Palestinian suicide bomber and the subsequent seizure by the Israelis of
the Palestinian Orient House in Jerusalem.   I am missing a condensed
article of the seizure of Orient House itself, but the reader can easily
fill in the gaps.

This one below is titled "Israeli Brutality:  Internationals,  Palestinians
attacked and arrested" and the the next two ZGrams will be Robert Fisk
reporting on location.

What is significant for us is that, in front of whirring cameras, Israelis
abuse, beat up and arrest Americans who have come peacefully to help the
Palestinians, and this will have public relations and political fallout
consequences the Israelis are going to rue.

We continue:

[START]

JERUSALEM On Saturday,  August 11, 2001, foreign civilians, demonstrating
against the illegal occupation  of the Orient House in East Jerusalem, were
violently attacked, abused and  arrested by the Israeli police. 

At  approximately 2:00pm, 35 internationals arrived at the American Colony
Hotel,  located a couple hundred meters from the Orient House.   Bearing
signs calling for an end  to the occupation of the Orient House, an end to
violence and justice for all  people, the demonstrators formed a line along
the sidewalk in front of the  American Colony and began chanting: "No
justice, No peace, End the  occupation". 

Within five minutes  and without warning the demonstrators were rushed by
no less than 30 of Israel's  Border Policemen who began violently snatching
signs and elbowing people.  After snatching most of the signs, the  police
officers then surrounded the demonstrators began pushing them violently,
kicking them and cursing at them. 

Some of the demonstrators receiving the blows began screaming, others
pleaded for "no violence."  Eleven  people were arrested, 7 foreign
civilians and 4 Palestinians (3 minors and 1  adult), -- the Palestinians
detained were all observers and not participating in  the international
demonstration. 

Those arrested were:

Andrew Clareno             26 years old             Austin, Texas (doctoral
student, University of  Michigan)

Edward Mast                 46 years old             Seattle, Washington
(playwright)

Heidi Arraf                    25 years old             Detroit, Michigan
(University of Michigan  graduate)

Linda Beavis                40  years old             Seattle, Washington
(high school history  teacher)

Sofia Ahmed                 26 years old             Chicago, Illinois
(social worker)

Julian  Salingue             23 years old             Paris, France
(university student, Paris)

Peter Friis-Neilson        35  years old             Denmark (Lutheran priest)

31-year-old Palestinian male

16-year-old Palestinian male

16-year-old Palestinian male

17-year-old Palestinian female (released after  interrogation)

The next day, 3 Americans, one French, one Danish and one  Palestinian were
released.  Two  Americans, Andrew Clareno and Sofia Ahmed, and the two
Palestinian minors remain in jail. 

Andrew and the two Palestinians are being charged with attacking a police
officer.  This, despite video  footage that clearly shows that the
demonstrators were attacked by the Israeli  forces and that they did not
fight back nor resist  arrest.

Other verbal and physical abuse

All of the internationals bear bruises from being kicked  and dragged by
the Israeli police.   One American, Andrew Clareno, has bruises and welts
on his right neck and  shoulder as a result of being choked and dragged in
a chokehold by an Israeli  Border patrolman.

The Palestinian males were beaten, most noticeably, one  of the 16-year-old
Palestinian males, who was limping severely after the police
interrogation. 

All demonstrators were verbally abused and subject to  vulgarities.

The young Palestinian girl, afraid and crying, was mocked  by Israeli
policemen.

At  a similar non-violent demonstration the day before, injuries included:
a baton  to the head of an elderly Frenchman as he attempted to put himself
in between an  Israeli officer and a Palestinian being beaten; an injury to
the ankle of a  young Italian woman, as a result of trampling by Israeli
police horses; severe  beating to the face and body of an elderly
Palestinian man.

The International Solidarity  Movement

The International Solidarity Movement is an umbrella  organization that is
reaching out and working with foreign civilians concerned  with the
Palestinian struggle for freedom and seeing an end to the illegal  Israeli
occupation of Palestinian land.   The International Solidarity Movement
together with their Palestinian  hosts initiated a "Campaign Against
Occupation". 

Thirty-eight internationals from Europe  and the USA arrived to the
Occupied Palestinian Territories last week to engage  in direct non-violent
actions, together with the Palestinian people, against the  illegal Israeli
occupation.  The  breakdown of the first delegation is as follows:

21  Americans

8  Italians

4 French

4  British

1  Danish

These activists will be joined by 25 more Italians on  August 13, 2001 and
8 more French on August 15,  2001.

The International Solidarity Movement calls on Israel to  comply with all
UN Resolutions and International law.  We call on our respective
governments to  cease active support of Israeli's aggression against
Palestinian civilians.  The ISM has formed an unofficial  international
presence and urges the international community to deploy an  official
international protection force in the Occupied Palestinian Territories  and
to take immediate and concrete action to pressure Israel to comply with UN
resolutions and international law. 

For more information about actions, the arrests, or the  ongoing Campaign
Against Occupation, please call:                   

Heidi Arraf: +972-52-290-173

Neta Golan: +972-52-481-261

Palestinian Center for Rapprochement:  +972-2-277-2018

[END]